Digital display devices having communication capabilities

ABSTRACT

A digital display device having two or more displays that are coupled at angles to each other for displaying content associated with multiple sets of sources of content is described herein. Each display has one or more display regions in which content is displayed. A first display region on one display may be merged with a second display region on the same or a different display to form a merged display region in which content is displayed. The displays may be touch-sensitive. Display regions may be merged by, for example, receiving a first touch from a user of a first touch-sensitive display region and a second touch of a second touch-sensitive display region. In some embodiments, the digital display device has the form of a cube with six displays.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/358,195, filed Jan. 22, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,704,777, entitled“DIGITAL DISPLAY DEVICES HAVING COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES,” which is acontinuation-in-part of International Application No. PCT/US08/60123,entitled “DIGITAL PICTURE FRAME HAVING COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES,”filed on Apr. 11, 2008. It also claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/937,234, filed Jan. 13, 2011, entitled “DIGITALPICTURE FRAME HAVING COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES,” which is a nationalstage entry of International Application No. PCT/US08/60123. Thecontents of all three applications are incorporated herein by referencein their entireties.

BACKGROUND

Typically, digital photo frames display digital photos that are uploadedby a user via a memory card, Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, orother method. However, one drawback to this approach is that it requiresthe user to have basic technological expertise in order to upload thedigital photos to the digital photo frame. Because this approachrequires a certain level of comfort with technology, some users may bedissuaded from utilizing digital photo frames. Accordingly, the needexists for digital photo frames that overcome the above limitations, inaddition to providing other benefits.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a digital display device having multipledisplay regions.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow of content from various sources of content tothe digital display device.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a digital display device having inboundand outbound communication channels.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of components of a digital display devicehaving multiple display regions.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a process for associating sources of contentwith display regions of a digital display device and providing contentfor display on associated display regions.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate representative interfaces for creatingassociations between sources of content and display regions of a digitaldisplay device.

FIG. 7A is an isometric view of a digital display device having threedistinct displays that may be coupled to each other.

FIG. 7B is a side view of the digital display device illustrated in FIG.7A with the displays arranged in a linear fashion.

FIG. 8A is an isometric view of a digital display device having the formof a cube.

FIGS. 8B-8G are views of a face of the digital display cube illustratedin FIG. 8A.

FIG. 8H is another isometric view of the digital display cubeillustrated in FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9 is a view of a digital display cube having inbound and outboundcommunication channels.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate representative interfaces for creatingassociations between sources of content and display regions of a digitaldisplay cube.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of components of the digital display cubeillustrated in FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A digital display device for displaying content associated with multiplesets of sources of content is described herein. The digital displaydevice includes a display configured to provide at least a first displayregion and a second display region. The digital display device furtherincludes a communication component configured to transmit and receivesignals to and from a telecommunications network and a storage componentconfigured to store a mapping of sources of content to the first andsecond display regions. The digital display device also includes arouting component that automatically routes content associated with thefirst and second sets of sources for display on at least one of thefirst and second display regions. The first and second display regionsdisplay the content substantially simultaneously.

In some embodiments, the digital display device allows a user to engagein real-time communications with a source of content. The real timecommunication may be created with the source of content by selecting thedisplay region that is displaying content that corresponds to the sourceof content. The digital display device establishes a real-timecommunication session with the corresponding source of content over thetelecommunications network.

In some embodiments, the digital display device includes two or moredisplays that are coupled at angles to each other. For example, thedigital display device may include three displays that are coupled toeach other and may be arranged to form the shape of a triangle. Asanother example, the digital display device may include four displaysthat are coupled to each other and may be arranged to form the shape ofa square. Each display is configured to provide one or more displayregions in which content is displayed. The display regions may also bemerged with one another to form a merged display region in which contentis displayed. In some embodiments, the digital display device has theform of a cube with six faces. All or substantially all of the six facesmay include a display having one or more display regions in whichcontent is displayed. Two or more display regions may be merged withone-another to form a merged display region in which content isdisplayed. The displays may be touch-sensitive. Display regions may bemerged by, for example, receiving a first touch from a user of a firsttouch-sensitive display region and a second touch of a secondtouch-sensitive display region.

The following description provides specific details for a thoroughunderstanding of, and enabling description for, various embodiments ofthe technology. One skilled in the art will understand that thetechnology may be practiced without many of these details. In someinstances, well-known structures and functions have not been shown ordescribed in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description ofthe embodiments of the technology. It is intended that the terminologyused in the description presented below be interpreted in its broadestreasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with adetailed description of certain embodiments of the technology. Althoughcertain terms may be emphasized below, any terminology intended to beinterpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specificallydefined as such in this Detailed Description section.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a digital display device 100 havingmultiple display regions that may be associated with sources of content.The digital display device 100 is supported by a stand 110 and includesa frame 105 and an antenna 115 attached to the frame 105. In someembodiments, the antenna 115 is embodied within the frame 105 such thatit is not apparent to an observer, or the frame 105 is configured to actas an antenna. In some embodiments, in addition to or instead of thestand 110, the digital display device 100 includes a hanger configuredto enable the digital display device 100 to be attached to a surface(e.g., a wall). The antenna 115 enables a wireless connection to atelecommunications network. In some embodiments, in addition to or inplace of the antenna 115, the digital display device 100 includescomponents (not shown in FIG. 1) that enable a wired connection to atelecommunications network (e.g., an RJ-11 port, an Ethernet port, acable modem port, or other wired port). The digital display device 100also includes five display regions 120 (shown individually as displayregions 120 a-e). The digital display device 100 can include fewer than(e.g., one display region) or more than (e.g., six display regions) thedepicted five display regions 120. The digital display device 100 canalso have the display regions 120 arranged in configurations other thanthe configuration illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, the displayregions can all have portrait orientations or can all have landscapeorientations, or some combination of portrait and landscapeorientations. As another example, the display regions may be positionedadjacent to one another in a linear fashion. The display regions 120 canalso have varying sizes and shapes (e.g., circular, elliptical, square,rectangular, polygonal, etc.). Each display region may be constructedusing an individual display panel, such as a liquid crystal display(LCD), an Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) display, a Liquid CrystalOn Silicon (LCOS) display, etc. Alternatively, each display region maybe a mapped region of a single, larger display panel.

The digital display device 100 also includes communication componentsand/or circuits (not shown in FIG. 1) that enable the digital displaydevice 100 to communicate by transmitting and receiving wireless signalsusing licensed, semi-licensed or unlicensed spectrum over atelecommunications network. Telecommunications networks includethird-party telecommunications networks such as a Global System forMobile (GSM) mobile telecommunications network, a code/time divisionmultiple access (CDMA/TDMA) mobile telecommunications network, a 3rdGeneration (3G) mobile telecommunications network (e.g. General PacketRadio Service (GPRS/EGPRS), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution(EDGE), or Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)), or othertelecommunications network. For example, if the digital display device100 is configured to communicate over a GSM mobile telecommunicationsnetwork, the digital display device 100 may include a SubscriberIdentity Module (SIM) card that stores an International MobileSubscriber Identity (IMSI) number that can be used to identify thedigital display device 100 on the GSM mobile telecommunications network.If the digital display device 100 is configured to communicate overanother telecommunications network, the digital display device 100 mayinclude other components that enable it to be identified on the othertelecommunications network. Telecommunications networks also includelocal or home-based telecommunications networks, such astelecommunications networks using Generic Access Network (GAN) orUnlicensed/Universal Mobile Access (UMA) standards and protocols. Insome embodiments, the digital display device 100 includes componentsthat enable it to connect to a telecommunications network using theaforementioned GAN or UMA standards and protocols. For example, thedigital display device 100 may include components that support InternetProtocol (IP)-based communication over a Wireless Local Area Network(WLAN) and components that enable communication with thetelecommunications network over the IP-based WLAN.

Because the digital display device 100 is configured to communicate witha telecommunications network, the digital display device 100incorporates an identifier that identifies it to the telecommunicationsnetwork. Example identifiers include a telephone number, an IMSI, ane-mail address, an IP address, a Media Access Control (MAC) address, orother identifier. Because the digital display device 100 has anidentifier assigned to it, the digital display device 100 can receivecontent that is sent to the identifier. As will be described in furtherdetail with reference to e.g., FIGS. 5-6B, associations are createdbetween each of the display regions 120 of the digital display device100 and sources of content, either on a permanent basis or on atemporary basis. For example, display regions may be associated withsources used or operated by family members (e.g., children,grandchildren, etc.), friends, or colleagues. As another example, adisplay region may be associated with sources used or operated by afamily or other group (e.g., a soccer team, a book club, etc.). Asanother example, the display regions may be temporarily mapped torespective sources, thereby enabling content from the sources to bedisplayed in alternating display regions. In some embodiments, thesources are used or operated by subscribers of the sametelecommunications network to which the digital display device 100 isconnected (e.g., the subscriber owns or utilizes a source device thatconnects to the same telecommunications network). The sources can sendcontent (e.g., still photos or images, video clips, text messages,interactive video games, metadata associated with any of the foregoingor other types of content) to the identifier assigned to the digitaldisplay device 100. The content is transmitted over thetelecommunications network to a transceiving site (such as a basestation or wireless router) serving the digital display device 100. Thedigital display device 100 may store the content in a storage medium(not shown in FIG. 1) such as a hard disk, flash memory, memory card,etc., located in the digital display device, in an external deviceaccessible via a WLAN, a network location or at a server locationaccessible via the Internet. Upon receiving the indicated content, thedigital display device 100 automatically displays the content in thedisplay region 120 that is permanently or temporarily associated withthe source that sent it. The digital display device 100 displays thecontent in the different display regions 120 substantiallysimultaneously. In some embodiments, each time that content is receivedby the digital display device 100, the digital display deviceautomatically displays the new content. In this way, the contentdisplayed in the display regions 120 may be constantly refreshed. Insome embodiments, the digital display device stores received content andsuccessively displays the content on the display regions 120 (e.g.,displays the stored content in slideshow fashion).

It will be appreciated that one advantage of the digital display device100 is that it enables a user to enjoy new content associated with oneor more sources without having to initiate the uploading of the newcontent. The digital display device 100 can therefore be successfullyutilized by users with little or no technical expertise. Anotheradvantage is that the user may enjoy content from a large number ofsources at one time with a glance, in contrast to prior displays thatrequire a user to wait while images are sequentially presented to theuser.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow of content from various sources to the digitaldisplay device 100. Illustrated sources of content (i.e., contentproviders) include a mobile phone 215, a digital camera 220, anotherdigital display device 225, a digital video camera 230, and a personalcomputer 235. Other types of sources may include websites 240 and onlinecontent repositories 245. The illustrated sources transmit content overa telecommunications network 200, which transmits the content via awireless signal 210 to the digital display device 100. If a source iscapable of sending content directly to the telecommunications network200 (e.g., in the case of the source mobile phone 215), the content canbe sent via a wireless connection 205 a or wired connection 205 b.Alternatively, if the source is utilizing a device that is capable ofsending content indirectly to the telecommunications network 200 (e.g.,a device that connects indirectly to the telecommunications network viaa network such as the Internet), the content may be sent over a wired(or wireless, or partially wired, partially wireless) connection to thetelecommunications network 200. For example, source personal computer235 may connect to a website hosted by a computer that is part of thetelecommunications network 200 and upload content to the website. Thehosting computer can then provide the content or arrange to provide thecontent to the digital display device 100. As another example, sourcedigital camera 220 may wirelessly connect to a wireless network, viawhich content can be transmitted to the telecommunications network 200.In some embodiments, the digital display device 100 can transmit and/orreceive content using methods described in PCT/US08/54793 (entitled DATAEXCHANGE INITIATED BY TAPPING DEVICES, attorney docket no.31419-8043WO), the entirety of which is hereby incorporated byreference. Those of skill in the art will understand that a source maybe any of a variety of devices or applications that connect in a varietyof ways to the telecommunications network 200, and that content fromthose sources can be ultimately conveyed to the digital display device100.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a digital display device 300 configuredin accordance with another embodiment of the invention. In addition tothe illustrated components already discussed with reference to FIG. 1,the digital display device 300 includes audio output components 330(shown individually as audio output components 330 a and 330 b). Theaudio output components are left and right stereo speakers that areconfigured to produce sound. The digital display device 300 alsoincludes an audio input component 340 (e.g., a microphone) that isconfigured to receive sound. The digital display device 300 alsoincludes touchscreen or touch-sensitive display regions 320 (shownindividually as display regions 320 a-e). The touch-sensitive displayregions 320, when activated or actuated by a user (e.g., by touch), areconfigured to cause the digital display device 300 to initiate areal-time communication session with the source associated with thecontent that is displayed on the touch-sensitive display region 320 atthe time the touch-sensitive display region 320 is touched. For example,if an image of an individual who uses or operates a source (e.g., adigital photograph of the individual) is displayed in a particulardisplay region 320, the user can touch the particular display region 320to cause the digital display device 300 to initiate a real-timecommunication session (such as a voice call, a video call, an e-mail, atext message, an instant messaging session or other communication) withthat individual. For example, upon successfully reaching the individualafter initiating a voice call, the user can speak into the audio inputcomponent 340 and hear the individual via sound generated by the audiooutput components 330. The user can adjust the volume of the soundgenerated by the audio output components 330 by utilizing up and downbuttons 335 or via the touchscreen. When the user desires to end thecall, the user can again activate or actuate the touch-sensitive displayregion to cause the digital display device 300 to end the initiatedvoice communication. In some embodiments, a display region is associatedwith a source or sources used or operated by multiple individuals. Forexample, a display region may be associated with a source used oroperated by two individuals. The user can touch the display regionassociated with the source to initiate real-time communications with theindividuals (e.g., three-way calling; a chat room session, an instantmessaging session).

In some embodiments, while a user is engaged in a real-timecommunication with a first individual, the user can initiate a secondreal-time communication session with a second individual who uses oroperates a second source, and conference the two individuals togetherinto a group real-time communication session. For example, a useralready engaged in a voice communication with a first individual caninitiate a second voice communication by activating or actuating asecond touch-sensitive display region at the time the secondtouch-sensitive display region is displaying content associated with thesecond source. When the second voice communication with the secondindividual is successfully initiated, the user can conference in the twoindividuals by again activating or actuating the first touch-sensitivedisplay region associated with the first source. Alternatively, if thesecond voice communication is not successfully initiated, the user canreturn to the first voice communication by activating or actuating thesecond touch-sensitive display region, thus causing it to end andreturning the user to the first voice communication. Additionalparticipants to the conference call can be similarly added. Other typesof group real time communications can similarly be initiated in thisfashion (e.g., a video conferencing session, an instant messagingsession, a text messaging session, a chat room session, etc.).

The digital display device 300 also includes a camera 325 that isconfigured to capture still or moving images for transmittal to thetelecommunications network and ultimately to a remote recipient, and abutton (not shown in FIG. 3) configured to activate the camera 325. Forexample, a user can position himself or herself in front of the camera325 and activate the camera 325 (e.g., by pressing the button, utilizinga remote or otherwise successfully triggering the digital displaydevice's functionality) to capture a still or moving image of himself orherself. The user can then touch a touch-screen display region 320 tosend the captured image to the individual using or operating the sourceassociated with the touch-screen display region 320. In someembodiments, the user can activate the camera 325 before or during aninitiated real-time communication session and cause the digital displaydevice 300 to transmit one or more still or moving images over thetelecommunications network to a remote recipient. A user of the digitaldisplay device 300 can thus provide content to another user, such asanother user of another digital display device.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of components of the digital display device300 having multiple display regions. The digital display device 300includes various components that enable it to provide the functionalitydescribed herein as well as additional functionality. These componentsinclude an audio input component 405 (e.g., microphone) and an audiooutput component 410 (e.g., speakers). A user input component 430 (e.g.,buttons, alpha-numerical keyboard, etc.) enables the user to interactwith the digital display device (e.g., adjust speaker volume, accessstored content, adjust configuration settings, etc.). A camera component445 (e.g., digital camera) captures images (e.g., still or movingimages). A storage medium component 435 (e.g., hard drive, flash memory,memory card, etc.) stores content and other data (e.g., processinginstructions, configuration settings, etc.). A processor 450 executesprocessing instructions. The digital display device 300 also may includea SIM card interface 420, which enables the digital display device 300to receive a SIM card for purposes of accessing a GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTStelecommunications network, and an antenna 440 for transmitting andreceiving wireless signals. The digital display device 300 also includesa power source 455 (e.g., batteries, AC/DC converter, etc.), acommunication component 425, which may include a GSM/CPRS/EDGE/UMTScomponent 425 a, a Bluetooth component 425 b, a Wi-Fi component 425 cand/or a wired component 425 d (e.g., RJ-11 port, Ethernet port, etc.).The Bluetooth component 425 b and/or the Wi-Fi component 425 c enablethe digital display device 300 to transmit and receive wireless signalsin the 2.4 GHz Industrial Scientific Medical (ISM) band. Other wirelessprotocols (e.g., Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA), Ultra Wideband(UWB), ZigBee and other protocols) may also be supported. The digitaldisplay device 300 also includes an infrared component 465 that enablescommunication over an infrared spectrum (e.g., for communicating with aremote control that operates the digital display device 300). Thedigital display device 300 also includes a display component 460. Thedisplay component 460 may comprise one or several touchscreen liquidcrystal displays 460 (shown individually as touchscreen displays 460a-n), each of which is associated with a display region. Alternatively,the digital display device may include a single touchscreen liquidcrystal display that is mapped via software to provide the variousdisplay regions. The displays 460 display content associated with thedisplay regions and are touch-activated to provide varied functionality.In addition to displaying content, the touchscreen displays 460 candisplay user interfaces (e.g. alphanumerical keyboard, buttons forselecting options, menus, etc.) that enable users to interact with thedigital display device 300, either by using the touchscreen displays orby a remote. The digital display device also includes a routingcomponent 480 that automatically routes received content to theappropriate display 460. The digital display device 300 also includes areal-time communication component 485 (e.g., hardware and/or softwarefor audio and/or video communication, hardware and/or software for textmessaging, instant messaging, or chat room messaging). In someembodiments, the digital display device 300 includes a web servercomponent 470 that provides interfaces (such as those described withreference to FIGS. 6A and 6B) for interacting with the digital displaydevice 300. The digital display device 300 may also include a browsercomponent 475 that fetches or retrieves content over an HTTP connectionor other supported protocol (e.g., File Transfer Protocol (FTP), SecureShell (SSH), RSS feeds, etc.). The digital display device 300 can alsoinclude other components, circuits, chips, etc. that enable the digitaldisplay device 300 to provide the functionality described herein as wellas additional functionality.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a process 500 for associating sources withdisplay regions of a digital display device and providing content fromsources on associated display regions. At block 505, the digital displaydevice is activated on a telecommunications network. The digital displaydevice may be activated on a telecommunications network in any number ofways. For example, the digital display device may be activated byassigning it an additional identifier (e.g., a telephone number), or bymarking as active a record in a database that is associated with thedigital display device. In some embodiments, activation of the digitaldisplay device may be done at point-of-sale or prior to first use of thedigital display device (e.g., the digital display device may have anidentifier already assigned to it). In some embodiments, a user mayactivate the digital display device by accessing a website and providingan identifier to the website, which then activates the digital displaydevice or causes it to be activated. At block 510 an indication of adesired association between a source of content and a display region ofthe digital display device is received from the user. For example, theuser may indicate a desired association by accessing a website,identifying the user's digital display device, and assigning each of thedisplay regions to a different source or group of sources used by anindividual or group of individuals, by identifying the source(s) bytheir identifier(s). As another example, the user may indicate a desiredassociation by using interfaces provided by the digital display device.At block 515 sources of content are associated with display regions ofthe digital display device.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate representative interfaces that enable a userto create associations between sources of content and display regions ofa digital display device. FIG. 6A depicts an interface 600 that includesa confirmed sources region 605 displaying a number of sources 608 (shownindividually as sources 608 a-f). Each source 608 corresponds to adifferent actual source of content (e.g., a mobile phone, a digitalcamera, another digital display device, a digital video camera, apersonal computer, a website, etc.). Each source 608 has an identifier(e.g., a telephone number, an IMSI, an e-mail address, an IP address, aMAC address, or other identifier) associated with it. For example, eachof sources 608 a and 608 f can have an email address associated with it;source 608 b can have a telephone number associated with it; and each ofsources 608 d and 608 e can have a website address associated with it.The interface 600 also includes a digital display device region 610which depicts the layout of the user's actual digital display device.The digital display device region 610 includes a number of displayregions that are numbered 1-5. The numbered display regions correspondto the actual display regions of the user's digital display device. Theuser can create associations between a source 608 and a numbered displayregion by moving (e.g., dragging and dropping) the source 608 to thedesired numbered display region. Alternatively, the user can move anumbered display region to the desired source or use some other methodto create associations. As depicted, sources 608 d and 608 c areassociated with numbered display region 1; source 608 b is associatedwith numbered display region 2; source 608 a is associated with numbereddisplay region 3; sources 608 e and 608 a are associated with numbereddisplay region 4; and source 608 f is associated with numbered displayregion 5. More than one source 608 can be associated with a singlenumbered display region (as in the case of numbered display region 1) soas to enable the corresponding actual display region to display contentfrom more than one source. Furthermore, a source 608 can be associatedwith more than one numbered display region (as in the case of source 608a, which is associated with numbered display regions 3 and 4) so as toenable the content from the source 608 to be displayed on more than onecorresponding actual display region (e.g., the content from the source608 can be rotated or moved amongst the corresponding actual displayregions). Creating associations in this way allows the user to specifythe display region to which content from an individual source should besent. Therefore, the interface 600 enables the user to have granularcontrol over associations between sources of content and actual displayregions.

The interface 600 also includes an unconfirmed sources region 615displaying a number of unconfirmed sources 618 (shown individually asunconfirmed sources 618 a and 618 b). The user may be required toconfirm unconfirmed sources 618 before the content from theseunconfirmed sources 618 can be associated with the numbered displayregions. Requiring the user to confirm unconfirmed sources thus preventsunconfirmed sources from having their associated content automaticallydisplayed on the user's actual digital display device. The user can addnew sources of content by selecting the “Add New Sources” button 630,which can display a new interface (not shown) for adding new sources ofcontent.

FIG. 6B depicts another interface 650 that enables the user to createassociations between contacts and display regions of the digital displaydevice. The interface 650 includes a confirmed contacts region 655displaying a number of contacts 658 (shown individually as contacts 658a-f). Each of the contacts 658 corresponds to an actual individualperson. Each individual person may have one or more sources of content(e.g., a mobile phone, an email address, a digital camera, a website, apersonal computer, etc., none of which are shown in FIG. 6B) associatedwith him or her. The interface 650 allows the user to associate all of(or some subset of) the sources of content associated with an individualwith one or more display regions of the digital display device. Similarto the interface depicted in FIG. 6A, the interface 650 includes adigital display device region 660 which depicts the layout of the user'sactual digital display device. The digital display device region 660includes a number of display regions that are numbered 1-5. The numbereddisplay regions correspond to the actual display regions of the user'sdigital display device. The user can create associations between acontact 658 and a numbered display region by moving (e.g., dragging anddropping) the contact 658 to the desired numbered display region.Alternatively, the user can move a numbered display region to thedesired contact or use some other method to create associations. Asdepicted, contacts 658 a and 658 b are associated with numbered displayregion 1; contacts 658 a and 658 c are associated with numbered displayregion 2; contact 658 d is associated with numbered display region 3;contact 658 e is associated with numbered display region 4; and contact658 f is associated with numbered display region 5. More than onecontact 658 can be associated with a single numbered display region (asin the case of numbered display regions 1 and 2) so as to enable thecorresponding actual display region to display content from the sourcesof more than one contact. Furthermore, a contact 658 can be associatedwith more than one numbered display region (as in the case of contact658 a, which is associated with numbered display regions 1 and 2) so asto enable the content from the sources of the contact 658 to bedisplayed on more than one corresponding actual display region (e.g.,the content from the sources of the contact 658 can be rotated or movedamongst the corresponding actual display regions). Creating associationsin this way associates all of the sources of content associated with theindividual (or just some subset of all of the sources of content can beassociated with the individual) with one or more digital displayregions. For example, contact 658 e corresponds to an actual individualwho may own, operate or use the following sources of content: a mobilephone, an email address, and a website. Each of the mobile phone, theemail address, and the website, by virtue of contact 658 e's associationwith numbered display region 3, is now a source of content for thecorresponding actual display region on the user's digital displaydevice. Therefore, the interface 650 enables the user to associate allof the sources of content associated with an individual with an actualdisplay region, which can be desirable if the user wishes to segregatethe display regions on the digital display device on an individualbasis.

The interface 650 also includes an unconfirmed contacts region 665displaying one or more unconfirmed contacts 668. The user may berequired to confirm unconfirmed contacts 668 before the content from thesources of these unconfirmed contacts 668 may be associated with thenumbered display regions. The user can add new contacts by selecting the“Add New Contacts” button 680, which can display a new interface (notshown) for adding new contacts and their sources of content.

The interfaces 600 and 650 are not mutually exclusive and could becombined to allow the user to create associations between individualsand actual display regions while still allowing granular control on asource basis. For example, the user could create associations on anindividual basis using the interface 650. The user could then expand thecontacts 658 to show the sources associated with each contact 658, andthen delete sources or move sources amongst the different numbereddisplay regions. Those of skill in the art will understand that othermethods of creating associations between sources of content and actualdisplay regions are possible.

Returning to FIG. 5, at block 520 content is received from one or moreof the sources associated with the different display regions. Somesources of content can be considered to be “pull” sources of content andothers to be “push” sources of content. For example, referring back toFIGS. 6A and 6B, website sources 608 d and 608 e can be considered to be“pull” sources in that website content (e.g., photos, videos, etc.) isusually (although not necessarily) “pulled” or downloaded from websites.As another example, email sources 608 a and 608 f can be considered tobe “push” sources in that email content (e.g., text, photos, etc.) isusually (although not necessarily) “pushed” or sent from senders ofemails to recipients of emails. After the user has saved theassociations between the sources 608 and the numbered display regions(which can be done by selecting “Save Associations” button 625 or button675), a notification that includes an identifier of the digital displaydevice can be sent to “push” sources of content so as to enable the pushsources of content to send content to the digital display device. Forexample, an email can be sent to email sources 608 a and 608 f to notifythe email sources of the identifier (e.g., an email address) of thedigital display device to which content can be sent. As another example,a text message can be sent to phone source 608 b to notify the phonesource 608 b of an identifier (e.g., a telephone number) of the digitaldisplay device to which content can be sent. In some embodiments, eachsource is provided with the same identifier for the digital displaydevice. In this case, the source of the content is determined by thesource's identifier, and the content can thus be appropriately routed.In some embodiments, each source is provided with a different identifierfor the digital display device. In this case, content that the sourcesends to the identifier can be recognized as coming from the source, andthe content can thus be appropriately routed. Content can also be“pulled” from “pull” sources of content such as website sources 608 dand 608 e, on a periodic, ad-hoc or other basis. Content can then beappropriately routed to the proper actual display region based upon theassociations created using the interfaces 600 and/or 650. It is ofcourse possible for sources of content to be both “pull” and “push”sources. For these sources, either or both of the above methods can beused to obtain content. Those of skill in the art will understand thatother methods of determining sources of content and routing the contentto the actual display regions are possible.

Returning to FIG. 5, at block 525 the content is provided for display onthe appropriate display regions. The digital display device canautomatically display the content upon receipt substantiallysimultaneously in the appropriate different display regions. In someembodiments, the digital display device buffers received content bystoring it in a storage medium before displaying the content. In someembodiments, the digital display device displays content in a slideshowfashion.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that the steps described above inthe process 500 may be performed in an order other than the orderdescribed, and that additional or fewer steps may be performed. Forexample, an association between a source and a display region may becreated when content is first received by the digital display device.One skilled in the art will also appreciate that the process 500 may beimplemented by a server associated with the telecommunications network(e.g., an activation server) or by the digital display device itself,and/or that the interfaces 600 and 650 may be provided by a serverassociated with the telecommunications network (e.g., a web server) orby the digital display device itself. In some embodiments, one or moreservers associated with the telecommunications network may implement theprocess 500, provide the interfaces 600 and 650, and store the datareceived via these interfaces. In these embodiments, the one or moreservers associated with the telecommunications network act asintermediaries between the sources of content and the digital displaydevice. In some embodiments, the digital display device implements theprocess 500, provide the interfaces 600 and/or 650 (e.g., by itsembedded web server), and stores the data received via these interfaces(e.g., in its storage medium). For example, the digital display devicecan display in each of the display regions an alphanumerical keyboardthat the user can use to input identifiers identifying sources and/or tocreate associations.

FIG. 7A is an isometric view of a digital display device 700 havingthree distinct displays. The digital display device 700 includes threedistinct frames, labeled as frame 705 a, frame 705 b and frame 705 c.Frame 705 a is coupled to (i.e., attached to) frame 705 b by a hinge 730a, frame 705 b is coupled to frame 705 c by a hinge 730 b, and frame 705c is coupled to frame 705 a by a hinge 730 c. Means other than thehinges 730 (e.g., magnetic attachments, connectors, etc.) may also beused to couple the frames 705 to each other. Accordingly, when theframes are appropriately moved with respect to each other around thehinge axes the digital display device 700 may assume a generallytriangular configuration when viewed from above or below it. Each frame705 includes a display: frame 705 a includes a display 720 a, frame 705b includes a display 720 b, and frame 705 c includes a display 720 c.Each display 720 may include one or more distinct display regions thatmay be associated with sources of content as described herein. Thedigital display device 700 also includes an antenna 715 coupled to, orcarried by, the frame 705 c that enables a wireless connection to atelecommunications network. The hinges 730 may be such that a frame 705may be decoupled from, or detached from, another frame 705 to which itis coupled. For example, hinge 730 c may permit frame 705 a to bedetached from frame 705 c. In a state where one frame 705 is detachedfrom another frame 705, the hinges 730 also permit the frames 705 thatare still coupled to each other to move relative to each other.

FIG. 7B is a side view illustrating the digital display device 700 wherethe frame 705 a is decoupled from the frame 705 c and the frames 705 arearranged in a generally linear configuration. One or more of the frames705 may also include a hanger or other means for hanging (not shown inFIG. 7B) that is configured to enable the digital display device 700,when the frames 705 are arranged in the generally linear configuration,to be attached to a surface (e.g., a surface of a wall). In someembodiments, the displays 720 may display content that differs basedupon the configuration of the display device 700. For example, when thedisplay device 700 is in a non-linear configuration (e.g., in thegenerally triangular configuration), each display 720 may display adifferent item of content. When the display device 700 is arranged inthe generally linear configuration, the displays 720 may display asingle item of content, such as a panoramic image, that spans all of thedisplays 720. As another example, in some embodiments, the frames 705may be able to be completely detached from each other. In suchembodiments, when the frames 705 are completely detached from eachother, each display 720 in each frame 705 may display a different itemof content. When one or more of the frames 705 are reattached to eachother, the digital display device 700 may detect this reattachment andcause the displays 720 of the reattached frames 705 to display a singleitem of content that spans all of these displays 720.

Although the digital display device 700 is shown as having three frames705, it may have more or fewer frames 705 (e.g., two frames 705, four ormore frames 705), each frame 705 having a display 720. For example, thedigital display device 700 may have four frames 705 coupled to eachother and thus have a generally square configuration when viewed fromabove or below it.

FIG. 8A is an isometric view of a digital display device 800 having theform of a cube. The digital display device 800 (referred to hereinafteras the digital display cube 800) has multiple faces 805, including afirst side face 805 a, a second side face 805 b, a top face 805 c, andthree other faces (a third side face, a fourth side face, and a bottomface) that are not shown in the two-dimensional representation of FIG.8A. One or more of the faces may include multiple distinct displayregions 820. For example, the first side face 805 a includes ninedisplay regions 820, several of which are labeled, individually, asdisplay regions 820 a, 820 b, and 820 i. The second side face 805 b alsohas nine display regions, such as display region 820 j. The top face 805also has nine display regions, such as display region 820 s. The twoother side faces of the digital display cube 800 (not illustrated inFIG. 8A) also have nine display regions. Although the faces 805 areillustrated as having nine display regions, each or any of the faces 805may have more or fewer display regions 820 (e.g., a single displayregion 820 on a face 805, four display regions 820 on a face 805, etc.).Although regions 820 are illustrated as having generally square shapes,the regions 820 may have other shapes, such as rectangular shapes,triangular shapes, trapezoidal shapes, L-shaped shapes, X-shaped shapes,irregular shapes, etc.

Although the digital display device 700 is depicted with three faces andthe digital display cube 800 is depicted with five viewable faces (thebottom not being viewable when the digital display cube 800 is set on asurface), it will be appreciated that the techniques disclosed hereinallow the construction of display devices having any number of facesthat are set at angles with respect to one another. Moreover, the facesare not required to have a generally square shape, and may have othershapes such as rectangular shapes, triangular shapes, trapezoidalshapes, etc. For example, a display device may have fourtriangular-shaped viewable faces with a square bottom and take the formof a pyramid. Those skilled in the art will understand that the digitaldisplay device is therefore not limited to the form illustrated in e.g.,FIG. 7A and FIG. 8A and described herein.

The digital display cube 800 also has a bottom face (not illustrated inFIG. 8A) that allows the digital display cube 800 to be placed upon asurface (e.g., a generally horizontal surface). Because the bottom faceis not viewable by a user when the cube is set on a surface, instead ofa display region the bottom face may have non-skid feet, may provideaccess to batteries or other power supply, and may have one or moreswitches, displays, or other controls to operate the cube. For example,as described herein, the display regions 820 may be touch-sensitive, andthe bottom face may include switches to activate and deactivate thetouch-sensitive aspect of the display regions 820. The digital displaycube 800 includes a variety of components to enable the functionsdescribed herein. For example, the display cube includes a power supply,such as batteries or a transformer to allow the cube to be connected toan AC outlet. The digital display cube 800 also includes components thatenable the transfer of digital media to and from the cube, such ascomputer-readable media storage drives (e.g., USB drives, other flashdrives, etc.), telecommunications components (such as an antenna andmodem) that enable wired or wireless connections, and components thatidentify the digital display cube on a telecommunications network (e.g.,a SIM card, smart card, etc.). Components that the digital display cube800 may include are discussed in more detail with reference to, e.g.,FIG. 12.

FIG. 8B is a view of the face 805 a of the digital display cube 800.Each display region 820 can display a different item of content. Forexample, display regions 820 a-c display images 825 a-c, respectively.Display region 820 d displays a video clip 821, display region 820 edisplays a website 822 and display region 820 f displays a calendarinterface 823. Display region 820 g displays an instant messagingsession 824, display region 820 h displays an email interface 826 anddisplay region 820 i displays an address book interface 827. Each of thedisplay regions 820 can display any of the types of content describedherein, as well as any other types of content suitable for display on anelectronic display (e.g., text messages, interactive video games,televised content received over a wired or wireless connection, etc.).The digital display cube 800 may also receive content that has an audiocomponent without a visual component (e.g., streamed music, an AM/FMradio feed, a Podcast, etc.). In such situation, the digital displaycube 800 may play the audio component of the content, and display ascreen saver or other visual aspect on one or more of the displayregions 820.

FIG. 8C is another view of the face 805 a illustrating how two or moredisplay regions 820 may be merged to form a larger, merged, displayregion in which content may be displayed. As illustrated, the displayregions 820 a, 820 b, 820 d and 820 e have been merged to form a mergeddisplay region. When display regions are merged, a primary displayregion may be designated for the purposes of designating the contentthat is to be enlarged to fill the merged display region, and secondarydisplay regions may be explicitly or implicitly designated for thepurposes of designating the content that is to be displaced or hidden.These designations may be done in various ways. For example, one or moreof the display regions 820 may be touch-sensitive, and the user maytouch a first display region (e.g., the display region 820 a) to “grab”the content displayed in the first display region (e.g., image 825 a)and drag it in a downwardly and rightwardly fashion (e.g., in thedirection of arrow 830) to enlarge the content into display regions 820b, 820 d and 820 e. Doing so displaces or hides the content formerlydisplayed in these display regions. As another example, a user may toucha first display region to designate it as the primary display region(e.g., the display region 820 a) and then touch one or more seconddisplay regions to designate them as secondary display regions (e.g.,the display regions 820 b, 820 d and 820 e) that should be merged intoor incorporated into the primary display region. Display regions thatare non-contiguous may also be merged. For example, two non-contiguousdisplay regions (e.g., display regions 820 a and 820 c on the same face,or two non-contiguous display regions on different faces 805) could bemerged to form a merged display region that displays a single source ofcontent. Those of skill in the art will understand that other ways ofmerging two or more display regions and/or enlarging content to fill twoor more display regions may be used.

FIG. 8D is another view of the face 805 a illustrating how the contentof two or more display regions 820 may be switched. As illustrated, theimage 825 a, formerly displayed in display region 820 a, is displayed indisplay region 820 b, and the image 825 b, formerly displayed in displayregion 820 b, is displayed in display region 820 a. The content of twodisplay regions may be switched by, for example, a user using twofingers (e.g., the thumb and the forefinger) to “grab” the contentdisplayed in the display regions and then bringing the two fingerstogether to switch the positions of the content displayed in the displayregions. Other methods of switching the positions of content in displayregions 820 may of course be employed.

FIG. 8E is another view of the face 805 a illustrating other types ofcontent that may be displayed in the display regions 820. Displayregions 820 a-c are merged together to form a merged display region inwhich is displayed a news feed 840 containing one or more items of news.The news feed 840 may scroll across the three display regions that weremerged to form a longer display that is more suitable for scrollingtext. A user of the digital display cube 800 may subscribe to one ormore news feeds or web feeds (e.g., RSS or Atom web feeds in XML format)that can be used to display content on the display regions. Displayregions 820 h and 820 i are also merged to form a merged display regionin which are displayed status messages 841 a and 841 b. A user of thedigital display cube 800 may subscribe to status messages or updatesthat indicate a status or presence of another individual or a group ofindividuals, such as status messages from social networking or microblogging services (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc.), and have themdisplayed on the display regions. Other types of content delivered overdata transmission networks such as the Internet and/ortelecommunications networks in other ways may also be displayed on thedisplay regions 820.

FIG. 8F is another view of the face 805 a illustrating how a single itemof content may be displayed multiple times in multiple display regions820. As illustrated, display regions 820 a, 820 b, 820 d and 820 e aremerged to form a merged display region in which is displayed an image842. The image 842 is also displayed in three individual (i.e.,non-merged) single display regions 820 c, 820 g and 820 h. The image 842is also displayed in two merged display regions 820 f and 820 i. Becausethe two display regions 820 f and 820 i form a merged display regionthat has a different aspect ratio (i.e., 1×2) than the aspect ratio of asingle display region 820 (i.e., 1×1), the aspect ratio of the image 842displayed is also changed. In other words, the image 842 is stretched(vertically in this case, although images may also be stretchedhorizontally) to display in the two display regions 820 f and 820 i.

FIG. 8G is another view of the face 805 a illustrating how an imagedisplayed in more than one display region 820 may be “mixed up” or“jumbled.” As illustrated, the image 843 is displayed across all ninedisplay regions 820 of the left-hand face 805 a. Mixing up or jumblingthe image 843 causes each of the different display regions 820 on theface 805 a to randomly display a portion of the image 843, asillustrated in the right-hand face 805 a. A user may mix up or jumble animage by, for example, touching a display region 820 to cause acontextual menu to be displayed that provides an option for mixing up orjumbling an image. An image may be mixed up or jumbled more than once,with each time resulting in a random arrangement of the portions of theimage. In some embodiments, the digital display cube 800 includes anaccelerometer that enables it to detect an inclination, a vibration,and/or a shock incurred by it. When the digital display cube 800 detectssuch a motion, it may cause the images displayed in one or more displayregions 820 to be mixed up or jumbled. As another example, the user maymix up or jumble an image by touching display regions 820 on opposingportions of a face 805 with two or more fingers and by moving thefingers across the face 805, thereby causing one or more portions of theimage to be mixed up or jumbled.

FIG. 8H is another isometric view of the digital display cube 800illustrating how display regions 820 on two or more faces 805 may bemerged in order to cause content to wrap around two or more faces. Forexample, display regions 820 m, 820 n and 820 o on face 805 b anddisplay regions 820 d, 820 e and 820 f on face 805 a have been merged toform a merged display region for the display of a status message 849.The corresponding display regions on the other two side faces 805 of thedigital display cube 800 may also be merged into this merged displayregion such that the status message 849 wraps all the way around thedigital display cube 800. As another example, display region 820 k onface 805 b and display region 820 v on face 805 c are merged to form amerged display region for the display of a video clip 869. As anotherexample, display regions 820 a, 820 l and 820 y on faces 805 a, 805 band 805 c, respectively, are merged to form a merged display region inwhich is displayed a digital image 879 that is stretched to display inall three display regions 820. The display regions 820 of the digitaldisplay cube 800 can be merged or configured in various ways to displaycontent in numerous different ways.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a face 905 of a digital display cube 900configured in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The face905 carries nine display regions 920 (several of which are individuallylabeled as display regions 920 a-c). The face 905 also carries audiooutput components 930 (shown individually as audio output components 930a and 930 b). The audio output components are left and right stereospeakers that are configured to produce sound. The digital display cube900 also includes an audio input component 940 (e.g., a microphone) thatis configured to receive sound. The display regions 920 may betouch-sensitive. Touch-sensitive display regions 920, when activated oractuated by a user (e.g., by touch and then selection of a contextualmenu option), are configured to cause the digital display cube 900 toinitiate a real-time communication session with the source associatedwith the content that is displayed on the touch-sensitive display region920 at the time the touch-sensitive display region 920 is touched. Forexample, if an image of an individual who uses or operates a source(e.g., a digital photograph of the individual) is displayed in aparticular display region 920, the user can touch the particular displayregion 920 to cause the digital display cube 900 to initiate a real-timecommunication session (such as a voice call, a video call (e.g., a Skypevideo/voice call), an e-mail, a text message, an instant messagingsession or other communication) with that individual. Upon successfullyreaching the individual after initiating a voice call, the user canspeak into the audio input component 940 and hear the individual viasound generated by the audio output components 930. The user can adjustthe volume of the sound generated by the audio output components 930 byutilizing up and down buttons 935 or via the touchscreen. When the userdesires to end the call, the user can again activate or actuate thetouch-sensitive display region 920 to cause the digital display cube 900to end the initiated voice communication. In some embodiments, a displayregion 920 is associated with a source or sources used or operated bymultiple individuals. For example, a display region 920 may beassociated with a source used or operated by two individuals. The usercan touch the display region 920 associated with the source to initiatereal-time communications with the individuals (e.g., three-way calling;a chat room session, an instant messaging session, a live videoconferencing session, etc.).

In some embodiments, if an image of an individual who uses or operates asource (e.g., a digital photograph of the individual) is displayed in aparticular display region 920, the user can “tap” the particular displayregion 920 with a mobile device of the user (e.g., using methodsdescribed in the previously referenced PCT/US08/54793). This causes thedigital display cube 900 to transfer to the user's mobile device atelephone number of the individual displayed in the particular displayregion 920. The user's mobile device can then automatically initiate atelephone call to the individual. Alternatively or additionally, thedigital display cube 900 may transfer other identifying information(e.g., an email address of the individual, an instant message identifierof the individual, etc.) to the user's mobile device. The user's mobiledevice can then automatically initiate an appropriate real-timecommunication (e.g., an email message, an instant message, a textmessage, etc.) with the individual using the identifying informationtransferred to it by the digital display cube 900.

In some embodiments, as described with respect to the digital displaydevice 300, while a user is engaged in a real-time communication with afirst individual, the user can initiate a second real-time communicationsession with a second individual who uses or operates a second source,and conference the two individuals together into a group real-timecommunication session using features provided by the digital displaycube 900.

The digital display cube 900 also includes a camera 925 that isconfigured to capture still or moving images for transmittal to thetelecommunications network and ultimately to a remote recipient, and abutton (not shown in FIG. 9) configured to activate the camera 925. Forexample, a user can position himself or herself in front of the camera925 and activate the camera 925 (e.g., by pressing the button, utilizinga remote or otherwise successfully triggering the digital displaydevice's functionality) to capture a still or moving image of himself orherself. The user can then touch a touch-screen display region 920 tosend the captured image to the individual using or operating the sourceassociated with the touch-screen display region 920. In someembodiments, the user can activate the camera 925 before or during aninitiated real-time communication session and cause the digital displaycube 900 to transmit one or more still or moving images over thetelecommunications network to a remote recipient. A user of the digitaldisplay cube 900 can thus provide content to another user, such asanother user of another digital display cube. During the real-timecommunication session, the digital display cube 900 displays content(e.g., video, still images, etc.) on a face 905 from the other user withwhom the user is communicating. In some embodiments, during a real-timecommunication session, one or more of the display regions 920 on theface 905 can function to display content (e.g. video, still images,etc.) from the other user with whom the user is communicating (e.g., ina picture-in-picture, video-in-video, picture-in-video orvideo-in-picture fashion). This enables the user of the digital displaycube 900 to view both the content associated with the other user as wellthe content that the other user can view on their respective device(e.g., the content captured by the camera 925).

In some embodiments, the digital display cube 900 may be used tofacilitate a conference or group communication between a number ofindividuals. For example, if each of the side faces of the digitaldisplay cube contained a camera 925, the digital display cube 900 may beplaced in the center of a table or a desk and users wishing toparticipate in the group communications session would sit in positionssurrounding the digital display cube 900. The cameras 925 would transmitstill or video pictures of the individuals to the other party or partiesthat receive the communication. The individuals surrounding the digitaldisplay cube 900 may view the party or parties to which they arecommunicating on the display regions 920. If there is only one receivingparty, all nine of the display regions 920 may be merged to display asingle image or video of the receiving party. If there are multiplereceiving parties, one or more display regions 920 may be associatedwith each receiving party.

FIG. 10 illustrates a representative interface 1000 for creatingassociations between sources of content and display regions of a digitaldisplay cube. The interface 1000 includes a confirmed sources list 1004displaying a number of sources 1008 (shown individually as sources 1008a-m). Each source 1008 corresponds to a different actual source ofcontent. Sources of content may include, but are not limited to, amobile phone, a digital camera, another digital display device, adigital video camera, a personal computer, a website, a video clip, aphoto set or collection of photos, an individual photo, a calendarapplication, an address book application, an email application, a newsfeed, a status feed, etc. Each source 1008 has an identifier (not shown)associated with it that allows content to be sent to or received fromthe source. Identifiers include, but are not limited to, a telephonenumber, an IMSI, an e-mail address, an IP address, a MAC address, awebsite address, a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) or otheridentifier. For example, source 1008 a may have an email addressassociated with it; source 1008 b may have a telephone number associatedwith it; and each of sources 1008 d, 1008 e, 1008 f and 1008 g may havea URI (e.g., a website address) associated with it. The interface 1000also includes a virtual representation 1010 that depicts the layout ofthe user's physical digital display cube. The virtual representation1010 may be rotated or spun by use of controls 1035. The representation1010 includes display regions that correspond to the display regions onthe user's actual digital display cube (i.e., each depicted displayregion on the virtual representation maps to one of the display regionsof the physical display cube). The user can create associations betweena source 1008 and a display region by dragging and dropping the source1008 to the desired display region. Alternatively, the user can move adisplay region to the desired source, assign a code to each source thatmaps to a display region, or use some other method to createassociations. As shown in FIG. 10, each display region or regions in thevirtual representation 1010 contains a number which correlates withnumbers associated with each source 1008 in the confirmed source list1004.

A source may be associated with a merged display region consisting oftwo or more individual display regions (e.g., two display regions on asame face, or two display regions on two different contiguous ornon-contiguous faces). For example, source 1008 i, which corresponds toa photo, is associated with a merged display region consisting of thethree lower display regions on face 1005 b of the virtual representation1010. As another example, source 1008 f, which corresponds to a statusfeed, is associated with a merged display region consisting of the threemiddle display regions on face 1005 b and the three middle displayregions on face 1005 a of the representation 1010. The associationacross two faces allows the status feed content corresponding to thesource 1008 f to be displayed on the actual digital display cube inscrolling fashion from one face to another. As another example, source1008 j, which corresponds to a set of photos or collection of photos, isassociated with a merged display region consisting of three contiguousdisplay regions, one on face 1005 a, one on face 1005 b and one on face1005 c. Accordingly, the photos in source 1008 j will be stretched orconstrained to display in all three display regions. A source may alsobe associated with two distinct non-merged display regions. For example,source 1008 e, corresponding to an instant messaging session, isdisplayed in each of two upper display regions on face 1005 a. These twodisplay regions are non-merged, meaning that an instance of the contentcorresponding to the instant messaging session will be displayed in eachof the two display regions. More than one source 1008 may be associatedwith a single display region on the virtual representation 1010 so as toenable the corresponding physical display region to display content frommore than one source.

Although not depicted in FIG. 10, a control may be provided to allow auser to specify that a display region is to display content from arandomly selected source 1008. A user may also specify that a source isto be rotated or periodically moved from one display region to anotherdisplay region. The user can save the created associations by selectinga “Save Associations” button 1025. The user can clear the createdassociations to start over by selecting a “Clear All Associations”button 1028. Creating associations using the interface 1000 allows theuser to specify a display region to which content from an individualsource of content should be sent or received. Therefore, the interface1000 enables the user to have granular control over associations betweensources of content and display regions of an actual digital displaycube.

The interface 1000 also includes an unconfirmed sources region 1015displaying a number of unconfirmed sources 1018 (shown individually asunconfirmed sources 1018 a and 1018 b). Unconfirmed sources may be aresult of unknown or not-approved sources sending a request to a user tosend content to the user. The user may be required to confirmunconfirmed sources 1018 (e.g., by selecting the corresponding confirmbutton 1020) before content from the unconfirmed sources 1018 will beassociated with the numbered display regions. When the user confirms anunconfirmed source 1018, it may be automatically added to the confirmedsources region 1004, or the user could be prompt to add it to theconfirmed sources region 1004. Requiring the user to confirm unconfirmedsources 1018 thus prevents unconfirmed sources 1018 from having contentautomatically displayed on the user's physical digital display device.The user can manually add new sources of content by selecting an “AddNew Sources” button 1030, which displays an interface (not shown) foradding new sources of content.

FIG. 11 depicts another interface 1100 that enables the user to createassociations between contacts and display regions of a digital displaycube. Each contact 1108 corresponds to an actual individual person. Theinterface 1100 includes a confirmed contacts list 1104 displaying anumber of contacts 1108 (shown individually as contacts 1108 a-d). Eachindividual person may have one or more sources of content 1110 (e.g., amobile phone, a digital camera, another digital display device, adigital video camera, a personal computer, a website, a video clip, aphoto set or collection of photos, an individual photo, a calendarapplication, an address book application, an email application, a newsfeed, a status feed, etc.) associated with him or her. For example, theindividual corresponding to contact 1108 a has associated with him orher a photo set 1110 a, a status feed 1110 b, a first website 1110 c anda second website 1110 d, and the individual corresponding to contact1108 b has associated with him or her a status feed 1110 e, a website1110 f, and a photo set 1110 g. The sources of content 1110 associatedwith contacts 1108 c and 1108 d are not displayed but can be byselecting arrows 1125 c and 1125 d, respectively. The contact 1108 aalso has two associated buttons 1115 a and 1120 a that enable the userto add new sources of content and modify existing sources of content,respectively, for this contact. The contact 1108 b also has twoassociated buttons 1115 b and 1120 b that enable the user to add newsources of content and modify existing sources of content, respectively,for this contact. Each source of content 1110 has an identifier (notshown) associated with it that allows content to be sent to or receivedfrom the source. Identifiers include, but are not limited to, atelephone number, an IMSI, an e-mail address, an IP address, a MACaddress, a website address, a URI or other identifier.

The interface 1100 allows the user to associate all of (or some subsetof) the sources of content 1110 associated with an individual with oneor more display regions of the user's actual digital display cube.Similar to the interface depicted in FIG. 10, the interface 1100includes a virtual representation 1111 that depicts the layout of theuser's actual digital display cube. The virtual representation 1111 maybe rotated or spun by use of controls 1135. The virtual representation1111 includes display regions that correspond to the display regions onthe user's actual digital display cube (i.e., each depicted displayregion on the virtual representation 1111 maps to one of the displayregions of the actual digital display cube). The user can createassociations between a contact 1108 (or a source of content 1110) and adisplay region by dragging and dropping the contact 1108 (or a source ofcontent 1125) to the desired display region. Alternatively, the user canmove a display region to the desired contact (or to a source of content1110), assign a code to each contact (or source of content 1110) thatmaps to a display region, or use some other method to createassociations. As shown in FIG. 11, each display region or regions in thevirtual representation 1111 contains a number which correlates withnumbers associated with each contact 1108 (or with each source ofcontent 1110) in the confirmed contact list 1104.

The interface 1100 allows the user to associate an entire face of theuser's actual digital display cube with the sources of content 1110associated with a specific individual. As illustrated in FIG. 11, thevirtual representation 1111 depicts that the face 1105 c is associatedwith contact 1108 b. The user's actual digital display cube could rotaterandomly among the sources of content 1110 associated with that contact1108 b, such as the individual's status feed 1110 e, a website 1110 f ofthe individual, and a set of photos 1110 g associated with theindividual. For example, the actual digital display cube could normallydisplay in the display regions on the face 1105 c the set of photos 1110g associated with the individual. When the actual digital display cubereceives status updates for the individual (source of content 1110 e),it could display them in one or more specific display regions on theface 1105 c. After a specific period of time, the displayed statusupdates could fade out or slowly disappear, and the normally displayedset of photos 1110 g could fade in or reappear and resume beingdisplayed in display regions on the face 1105 c.

Although not depicted in FIG. 11, a control may be provided to allow auser to specify that a display region is to display content from arandomly selected contact 1108 (or from a randomly selected source ofcontent 1110). A user may also specify that a contact 1108 (or a sourceof content 1110) is to be rotated or periodically moved from one displayregion to another display region. The user can save the createdassociations by selecting a “Save Associations” button 1125. The usercan clear the created associations to start over by selecting a “ClearAll Associations” button 1128. Creating associations using the interface1100 allows the user to specify a display region to which content from acontact 1108 (or content from a source of content 1110) should be sentor received. Therefore, the interface 1100 enables the user to havegranular control over associations between contacts 1108 (or sources ofcontent 1110) and display regions of an actual digital display cube.

The interface 1000 also includes an unconfirmed contacts region 1165displaying a number of unconfirmed contacts 1168 (shown individually asunconfirmed sources 1168 a and 1168 b). Unconfirmed contacts 1168 may bea result of unknown or not-approved contacts sending a request to a userto send content to the user. The user may be required to confirmunconfirmed contacts 1168 (e.g., by selecting the corresponding confirmbutton 1170) before content from the unconfirmed contacts 1168 may beassociated with the display regions of the virtual representation 1111.When the user confirms an unconfirmed contact 1168, it may beautomatically added to the confirmed contacts region 1104, or the usercould be prompt to add it to the confirmed contacts region 1104.Requiring the user to confirm unconfirmed contacts 1168 thus preventsunconfirmed contacts 1168 from having content automatically displayed onthe user's actual digital display cube. The user can manually add newcontacts by selecting an “Add New Contacts” button 1130, which displaysan interface (not shown) for adding new contacts.

The interfaces 1000 and 1100 are not mutually exclusive and could becombined to allow the user to create associations between individualsand actual display regions while still allowing granular control on acontact basis. For example, the user could create associations on anindividual basis using the interface 1100. The user could then expandthe contacts 1108 to show the sources of content 1110 associated witheach contact 1108, and then delete sources of content 1110 or movesources of content 1110 amongst the different display regions. Those ofskill in the art will understand that other methods of creatingassociations between sources of content and actual display regions arepossible.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that a process for creatingassociations between content sources and display regions of a digitaldisplay cube may be implemented by a server or computing device (e.g.,an activation server) or by the digital display cube itself. One skilledin the art will also appreciate that the interfaces 1000 and/or 1100 maybe provided by a server or computing device (e.g., a web server) or bythe digital display cube itself. If provided by a server or computingdevice, the interfaces 1000 and/or 1100 may be generated and presentedto a user on a website operated by a manufacturer of a display device,by a service provider that provides telecommunications or other servicesto a purchaser of a display device, or by any other third-party. Whenthe interface is presented on a website, the one or more servers orcomputing devices generating the interface may connect with othersystems that act as intermediaries between the sources of content anddigital displays, and may provide the interface 1000 and/or 1100, storedata received via the interface, communicate changes made via theinterface to display devices, and route content between sources ofcontent and display devices in accordance with the received settings. Insome embodiments, the digital display cube implements the associationcreation process, provides the interfaces 1000 and/or 1100 (e.g., by anembedded web server), and stores the data received via these interfaces(e.g., in a storage medium). For example, the digital display cube candisplay in one or more display regions an alphanumerical keyboard thatthe user can use to input identifiers identifying sources and/or tocreate associations. Alternatively or additionally, a user may useanother wireless device (e.g., a wireless keyboard, a mobile device, apersonal computer with a wireless card and/or a Bluetooth interface) toprovide input to the digital display device to identify sources and/orto create associations.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of components of the digital display cube900 illustrated in FIG. 9. The digital display cube 900 includes variouscomponents that enable it to provide the functionality described hereinas well as additional functionality. These components include an audioinput component 1205 (e.g., microphone) and an audio output component1210 (e.g., speakers). A user input component 1230 (e.g., buttons,alpha-numerical keyboard, etc.) enables the user to interact with thedigital display device (e.g., adjust speaker volume, access storedcontent, adjust configuration settings, etc.). A camera component 1245(e.g., digital camera) captures images (e.g., still or moving images). Astorage medium component 1235 (e.g., hard drive, flash memory, memorycard, etc.) stores content and other data (e.g., processinginstructions, configuration settings, etc.). A processor 1250 executesprocessing instructions. The digital display cube 900 also may include aSIM card interface 1220, which enables the digital display cube 900 toreceive a SIM card for purposes of accessing a GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTStelecommunications network, and an antenna 1240 for transmitting andreceiving wireless signals. The digital display cube 900 also includes apower source 1255 (e.g., batteries, AC/DC converter, etc.).

The digital display cube 900 also includes a communication component1225, which may include a GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS component 1225 a, aBluetooth component 1225 b, a Wi-Fi component 1225 c and/or a wiredcomponent 1225 d (e.g., RJ-11 port, Ethernet port, etc.). The Bluetoothcomponent 1225 b and/or the Wi-Fi component 1225 c enable the digitaldisplay cube 900 to transmit and receive wireless signals in the 2.4 GHzIndustrial Scientific Medical (ISM) band. Other wireless protocols(e.g., Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA), Ultra Wideband (UWB),ZigBee and other protocols) may also be supported. The digital displaycube 900 also includes an infrared component 1265 that enablescommunication over an infrared spectrum (e.g., for communicating with aremote control that operates the digital display cube 900).

The digital display cube 900 also includes eight display face components1259 (although only three—display face components 1259 a, 1259 b and1259 h—of which are shown). Each display face component 1259 correspondsto a face 905 of the digital display cube 900. Each display facecomponent 1259 may comprise one or several touchscreen liquid crystaldisplays 1260 (shown individually as touchscreen displays 1260 a-i),each of which corresponds to a display 920 on a face 905 of the digitaldisplay cube 900. Alternatively, the digital display cube 900 mayinclude a single touchscreen liquid crystal display that is mapped viasoftware to provide the various display regions. The displays 1260display content associated with the display regions and aretouch-activated to provide varied functionality. In addition todisplaying content, the touchscreen displays 1260 can display userinterfaces (e.g. alphanumerical keyboard, buttons for selecting options,menus, etc.) that enable users to interact with the digital display cube900, either by using the touchscreen displays or by a remote.

The digital display cube 900 also includes a routing component 1280 thatautomatically routes received content to the appropriate display 1260.The digital display cube 900 also includes a real-time communicationcomponent 1285 (e.g., hardware and/or software for audio and/or videocommunication, hardware and/or software for text messaging, instantmessaging, or chat room messaging). In some embodiments, the digitaldisplay cube 900 includes a web server component 1270 that providesinterfaces (such as those described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11)for interacting with the digital display cube 900. The digital displaycube 900 may also include a browser component 1275 that fetches orretrieves content over an HTTP connection or other supported protocol(e.g., File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Secure Shell (SSH), RSS feeds,etc.).

The digital display cube 900 also includes an accelerometer component1286 that measures acceleration and gravity induced reaction forces.When the accelerometer component 1286 detects acceleration, the digitaldisplay cube 900 may change and/or rearrange content on one or more ofthe display regions 920, update content, jumble or mix up content on oneor more of the display regions 920, switch between connected users, etc.In some embodiments, the digital display cube 900 also includes adocking component 1287 that enables it to dock with a docking station(e.g., for transferring content to the digital display cube 900, forcharging its batteries, etc.).

In some embodiments, the digital display cube 900 also includes apresence detection component 1288 that enables it to detect the proximalpresence of an individual, and display content associated with thatindividual. For example, the presence detection component 1288 mayinclude a polling radio frequency identification (RFID) transceiver thatpolls proximal RFID transponders or RFID tags (included in e.g., mobiledevices such as phones), receives identifiers from such RFIDtransponders, determines an individual based upon the identifier, anddisplays content associated with that individual or appropriate to thatindividual. As an example of this functionality, the digital displaycube 900 may detect that a mobile device of an individual is proximate.The digital display cube 900 may request that the mobile device provideits telephone number to the digital display cube 900. The digitaldisplay cube 900 can then use the telephone number to look up (e.g., inan index stored on the storage medium component 1235) the individualassociated with that telephone number. If the individual is a confirmedcontact, the digital display cube 900 can then determine sources ofcontent associated with that individual, and display the content on oneor more displays 920 of one or more faces 905 of the digital displaycube 900.

The digital display cube 900 can also include other components,circuits, chips, etc. that enable it to provide the functionalitydescribed herein as well as additional functionality.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments ofthe invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration,but that various modifications may be made without deviating from thespirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is notlimited except as by the appended claims.

I/We claim:
 1. A digital display device having a plurality of interconnected faces, each face having one or more display regions for the display of content from at least one source of content, the digital display device comprising: a plurality of interconnected faces, each of the plurality of interconnected faces being oriented at an angle with respect to an adjacent face and each of the interconnected faces having one or more display regions for the display of content; a communication component configured to receive signals from a telecommunications network, the signals containing content associated with at least one source of content; a storage component configured to store: definitions of one or more merged display regions, a merged display region defined as any two or more display regions selected from the one or more display regions on the plurality of interconnected faces; associations between a source of content and a display region on one of the plurality of interconnected faces; and associations between a source of content and a merged display region; and a routing component coupled to the communication component, the storage component, and the plurality of interconnected faces, the routing component: analyzing received content to identify a source of the received content; accessing the storage component to determine a display region or a merged display region associated with the identified source of the received content; and routing the received content to the determined display region or determined merged display region for display.
 2. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of interconnected faces is a square and wherein all of the plurality of interconnected faces form the shape of a cube.
 3. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein all of the plurality of interconnected faces form the shape of a triangle when viewed from a plane that is perpendicular to a plane of a display region.
 4. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein adjacent interconnected faces are interconnected with a hinge.
 5. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein adjacent interconnected faces have a fixed interconnection.
 6. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein a merged region is defined by a user selection of a first display region from the plurality of interconnected faces and a second display region from the plurality of interconnected faces.
 7. The digital display device of claim 6, wherein the first and second display regions are selected from the same interconnected face.
 8. The digital display device of claim 6, wherein the first display region is selected from a first interconnected face and the second display region is selected from a second interconnected face.
 9. The digital display device of claim 6, wherein the merged display region is further defined by a user selection of a third display region from the plurality of interconnected faces.
 10. The digital display device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of interconnected faces are touch sensitive and the user selection is made by a user touching the first display region and touching the second display region.
 11. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein an association is stored between a single source of content and all of the display regions on the two or more interconnected faces.
 12. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein for each of the plurality of interconnected faces, an association is stored between a source of content and all of the display regions of the interconnected face.
 13. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the received content includes at least one of a still image, a moving image, and text.
 14. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the received content includes a status message of a user associated with the source of the received content.
 15. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the received content includes a web feed.
 16. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications network is a wireless network.
 17. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the merged display region is further defined by all of the display regions on an interconnected face, and wherein the merged display region displays content associated with a single individual.
 18. The digital display device of claim 1, further comprising an accelerometer configured to detect a movement of the digital display device, wherein when the accelerometer detects a movement, at least one association between a source of content and a display region on one of the plurality of interconnected faces is changed.
 19. A method performed by a digital display device having multiple of interconnected faces, wherein each face has one or more display regions for the display of content from at least one source of content, the method comprising: receiving signals from a telecommunications network, wherein the signals contain content associated with at least one source of content; storing at least: definitions of one or more merged display regions, wherein a merged display region is defined as any two or more display regions selected from the one or more display regions on the multiple interconnected faces; associations between a source of content and a display region on one of the multiple interconnected faces; and associations between a source of content and a merged display region; analyzing received content to identify a source of the received content; determining a display region or a merged display region associated with the identified source of the received content; and routing the received content to the determined display region or determined merged display region for display by the display device.
 20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing code, which when executed by at least one data processing device, causes a digital display device to display content from at least one source of content, comprising: receiving signals from a telecommunications network, wherein the signals contain content associated with at least one source of content; storing at least: definitions of one or more merged display regions, wherein a merged display region is defined as any two or more display regions selected from one or more display regions on multiple interconnected faces of a display device; associations between a source of content and a display region on one of the multiple interconnected faces of the display device; and associations between a source of content and a merged display region; analyzing received content to identify a source of the received content; determining a display region or a merged display region associated with the identified source of the received content; and routing the received content to the determined display region or determined merged display region for display by the display device. 